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1. Hilton moves into apartments with Placemakr
In its new partnership with aparthotel company Placemakr, Hilton is increasing its "apartment-style" offerings with its Apartment Collection soft brand, CoStar News Hotels' Sean McCracken reports.
The partnership with Placemakr adds 3,000 aparthotel units across the U.S. to Hilton's global inventory of 10,000 aparthotel units. Down the line, Hilton plans to grow its collection further by signing individual franchise agreements with owners of multifamily real estate.
The Apartment Collection by Hilton will begin taking bookings in the first half of 2026.
2. Kasa buys Mint House
Aparthotel company Kasa bought residential hospitality operator Mint House, adding nearly 1,000 units to its portfolio, CoStar News Hotels reports. The deal has closed, and full integration is expected by the end of January.
Initially, the Mint House properties will operate under the Mint House by Kasa brand, Kasa founder and CEO Roman Pedan said by email. Mint House CEO Christian Lee will take the role of senior adviser at Kasa to help with the transition.
3. Study finds extended-stay hotels more expensive than apartments
A study commissioned by DeKalb County in Atlanta and conducted by the Georgia State University found that residents living in 42 out of the 50 extended-stay hotels in the county on average paid more per month than they would have in a studio or one-bedroom apartment, Axios Atlanta reports.
The study included 4,664 people, including 1,635 children, and was conducted between September and November 2025. Those living in extended-stay hotels paid on average $1,852 per month while the average monthly rent for a studio apartment was $1,563 and a one-bedroom apartment was $1,629. Those living in extended-stay hotels were spending roughly 77% of their income on rent.
The study found evictions (35.9%), rent increases (32%), job loss or the inability to find employment (15.2%), family conflicts (13.4%) and domestic violence (8.2%) were the top reasons for living in the extended-stay properties.
4. Trump suspends immigration visa process for 75 countries
The U.S. Department of State is suspending the processing of immigrant visas for citizens from 75 countries, the Associated Press reports.
“The Trump administration is bringing an end to the abuse of America’s immigration system by those who would extract wealth from the American people,” the department said in a statement. “Immigrant visa processing from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassess immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits.”
The countries on this list are Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Congo, Cuba, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan and Yemen.
5. US wholesale inflation grew 3% in November
The Producer Price Index shows wholesale prices grew by 0.2% from October to November and by 3% on an annual basis, CNN reports, citing the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The data indicates wholesalers and retailers are likely still carrying the extra cost of the tariffs implemented over the past year, according to the article.
“Retailers are shielding consumers from further big increases in goods prices triggered by the tariffs,” Samuel Tombs, chief U.S. economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, wrote in a note to investors Wednesday.